This invention relates to apparatus for drying electric welding rods, in situs, to provide a welder with a supply of dry welding rods.
Electric welding equipment includes an engine driven generator that is often mobile, inasmuch as it is mounted on a trailer that is towed by a pick-up truck. The trailer carries the generator, electric controls, electric cable and a gasoline engine that drives the generator. The power ranges from a few horsepower to 20 to 30 horsepower. The situs is often outdoors and welding is done in all kinds of weather. A problem that arises often for the welder is that the welding rods are wet, sometimes called xe2x80x9ccontaminatedxe2x80x9d, and must be dried before they can be used properly. A wet welding rod will not strike as hot an arc, nor will the arc be best located for ideal welding, as with a dry welding rod. Heretofore, welders have dealt with this problem a number of ways that range from wrapping the rods in towels to drying them in the truck cab heater.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and means of drying welding rods that is an integral part of the welder""s equipment and is readily attached thereto.
It is a further object to provide such a method and means of drying welding rods in which the heat can be modulated.
It is a further object to provide such a method and means of drying welding rods that is adapted for attachment to the welders gasoline engine that drives the generator and is insulated from vibrations therefrom.
It is another object to provide such a method and means of drying welding rods wherein the hot exhaust gas from the engine flows around an inner cylindrical oven space that holds the welding rods so that heat flows from the gas to the rods evenly around the entire circumference of the inner oven space and along the entire length thereof.
According to the present invention an oven for drying welding rods that are used on electric welding equipment includes an inner oven space and an outer annular hot gas flow space around the inner oven space, the inner space being sufficiently large to accept a conventional metal can of welding rods, the oven being adapted for: feeding the hot engine exhaust gas to the oven annular hot gas flow space; opening and closing the inner oven space for inserting and removing the can of welding rods therefrom; and controlling the flow of the hot engine exhaust gas to the annular hot gas flow space so that the heat flow to the conventional can of welding rods inserted into the inner oven space is modulated and is sufficient to dry the rods as rapidly as desired.
These and other objects and features of the at present invention will be more apparent in view of the drawings taken in conjunction with the specific description of embodiments of the invention.